Bourgeoisie vs. Proleteriat

In other words...

Capitalist Class vs. Working Class

I'm taking a Sociology class called "Social Problems" and this week we are talking about Wealth and Poverty, U.S. and Global Economic Inequalities. And while it reads as long, drawn out and boring, it is actually extremely interesting because it is SO TRUE.

I would have to agree with Karl Marx and greatly attribute inequalities in relation to poverty as a result of the capitalist class exploiting the working class.

Because how many times have you seen people who are "in charge" of something and you're thinking, "This person is an idiot. I can do WAY BETTER than them." Well I don't know about you but I say this all the time.

The working class gives the capitalist class ALL their wealth, power and prestige because without them working for them, they wouldn't be able to provide the goods and services to the economy. I know exactly how the working class feels because DUH, I'm one of them.

And especially from my experience of working in a Revlon factory for 4 days this summer, I feel their pain. Because I absolutely HATED that job, hence the reason I only worked for 4 days. But no matter how many people quit, they always had people there to replace them. And working that job somehow made me realize that I do not want to be apart of the working class forever. If I have to work for somebody, I want to work for myself. Or at least be doing a job that I want to do and love. I find myself thinking about even pulling an "Into the Wild" (but not as extreme) and just bum my way around the world for a few years. Just so I can experience being on my own and not having to answer to anyone but myself.

Because in this capitalist economy, I don't believe that nobody is anymore qualified to do something than you are. Some people just have better opportunities and life chances than others. Chris Rock said it best (paraphrased extremely) "While a Black C Average college graduate can barely find a job in this economy, a white C Average college graduate can have the ultimate job, President of the United States." (he was referring to Bush) And its not because he's white that he is the president, its because he comes from a family of money that could give him better opportunities and could pull strings to let a dummy like Bush become President.

Which got me to thinking that in this time we like to blame alot of things on race but in actuality its all about money. But because white people are the ones with the bulk of the money, and black people are the ones without, it gets played as a race card. And from a Foundations of Education class I took, I learned that white people normally have what is called "old money" (Money so old its growing white hair- lil wayne) which is the best type of money you can have because you can't get rid of it because its constantly making more money. And again, back to Chris Rock, he talks about being rich and being wealthy (in one of his old stand up shows) and how you can't get rid of wealth but you can throw away being rich in one fun summer and a drug habit. (Then he said "Look at Rick James" RIP)

And while Chris Rock made a joke out of this it is true. And then my teacher from my education class goes on to talk about how these new people such as rappers, actors, doctors, lawyers, and professional types have what he calls "new money." Money that was acquired from a skill that they naturally have or was acquired through some sort of training or schooling. And how this type of money can be passed on generations but it can also be fucked up if you have one fuck up kid who wants to party all the time, and get loose with the money, or somebody who makes a bad investment. Look at MC Hammer, Mike Tyson, Vanilla Ice, all people who had millions and had to file bankruptcy.

But Im guessing new money can become old money if you make the right investments. Like if you created a product such as Johnson and Johnson, or you acquire through some means the ability to have your chain of restaurants. But you have to have money to make money, which brings me back to the working class and how most times they are barely making enough money to live, which leaves them no incentive to become part of the capitalist class. Their lives are focused on the now and what is, and not the future and what could be. And I wish I could do something about it but, again, I'm poor too. My only chance of getting out of the working class in the near future is the lottery which is a chance thats about 1 in a billion.

So as Im destined to be apart of the working class for a while, I am also determined to at least try to make my way into the capitalist class. Not necessarily one where I'm pimping the working class, but one where I can use my own skills to make money. It can't be hard because some of the idiots I see running shit (Cough- BET- I have to tell you my experiences with that "network" one day), I know for a fact that I can do it. Its just a matter of getting it done. Which for me, might be the hardest part.